Online Business Courses – From General Subjects to Focused Niches

Online courses for companies or individuals interested in training in business subjects are relatively plentiful. Some companies provide courses that seem to concentrate on a few areas of niche expertise and some seem to target broader subjects that might appeal to more people.

For instance, Lynda.com’s business offerings cover every popular business subject/skill one can think of – including Photoshop and web design, Word Processing, Managerial Training, Project Management, Negotiation and Marketing Strategies and more. Coursera’s business courses include Leadership and Management, Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Business Essentials and Business Strategies, just to name a few.

The courses of other companies fit into a variety of focused business areas. For instance, Illumeo offers courses in many of the subjects mentioned above, but then dives deep into operationally-focused subjects. Their courses cover widely disparate micro subjects, from corporate tax return preparation to compliance with the many corporate regulatory bodies to financial expertise.

The “Overview of SEC Compliance & Reporting for Public Companies” course is an introductory course that gives an overview of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and explains how to comply with the regulations. It is designed for professionals in the areas of corporate finance, accounting and auditing responsible for reporting to the SEC.

The Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is required for employers of all sizes. It is designed to protect the rights and welfare of all workers by designing provisions for medical, dental, vision and other plans. The Illumeo course, “ERISA Compliance: A Requirement for Employers of All Sizes” explains the requirements for companies’ compliance.

Cash pooling, a cash management process corporations use in dealing with banks and operating groups to reach financial goals, is covered in “Using Cash Pooling to Optimize Financial Results”. It covers the various methods used for cash pooling, its prerequisites and benefits, information necessary to deal with foreign governments and other information.

A company considering a public offering should examine its reasons and evaluate alternatives. After making the decision to undertake an initial public offering it should make careful preparations. The course “The IPO Preparation Process – Preparing a Company to Access the Public Markets” covers a wide array of this information and probably almost everything else a company needs to embark successfully on an IPO.

Net/net, if you’re looking for general interest business courses or nichier fare, there’s plenty to choose from.